Episode Report Card Jacob: D | 1419 USERS: C+ YOU GRADE IT BattleNoir Redactica
By Jacob | Season 2 | Episode 14 | Aired on 2006.01.27
Briefly, let's talk about sex, baby, in the Fleet, because it colors and confuses a lot of what's to come. We know that prostitution is legal, at least or especially on Cloud 9, which implies a level of sexual health and maturity concomitant with what we've seen across the Fleet in terms of gender equity. If there's no particular sin or taboo that pertains specifically to the female body, then prostitution in the Fleet is along the lines of a transaction, closer to temple prostitution in ancient Rome or the courtesans of Ye Olde Europe, somewhere between above-board stress relief like massage therapy, and the whole Whore + Madonna social status of a Firefly Companion. There's not even a societal/ethical consideration, because 90\% of what's wrong with current prostitution has to do with conditions, danger, pimps, union concerns, warping the supply/demand curves, etc. We were given to understand that prostitution was not part of the underworld, in this show, and this was backed up by the gender sociology of the show. I don't think I made this up out of whole cloth, although I'm assuming it's possible that I did. In any case, we were wrong, apparently, because this episode is rife with pimps, danger, and general disapproval of the entire concept. So, sucks to us for assuming that just because prostitution is legal, pimps are pointless. Pimps are, after all, staples of pulpy noir bullshit that isn't even trying.